Ryker's Room Revisited

Hope you're enjoying your weekend! I've been really busy with family get togethers and prepping our house for Christmas. We finally got our Christmas tree this morning so we're getting ready to set that up tonight - Keira can't wait and well, Ryker's too excited he has no words at all ;)
Some of you were asking a few questions about Ryker's room and I noticed that I never did an update on the final look of his room, so here it is.

Q. What white color did you use in Ryker's room?
A. Gallery White - Behr Premium Plus Ultra (from Home Depot)

Q.Where did you get the tree decals?
A. from Styleywalls

Q. Where did you buy that Gold Mirror?

A. Home Goods, and it was super cheap on clearance - it was a distressed white color and I just spray painted it gold. You can check out my DIY project HERE.

Q. Where did you buy the wooden changing table?

A. It was a Craigslist find - it's actually a rolling bar - the top opens up into a large table and the doors swing open (it's great for hiding extra diapers and necessities).  I initially was planning on painting it a bold color, like yellow, but I decided that the natural wooden elements incorporated into the room would add a bit of ruggedness which I loved.

Q. Do you have prints available of that yellow painting in Ryker's room?

A. No, at the moment I only have original paintings in my shop, but if you're interested in a commission piece, big or small, I can definitely paint a special piece to match your nursery or room.  You can contact me via email here.  Also, you can check by shop frequently as I normally add new pieces.

Thanks guys and if you have anymore questions please email me.  I'll try to get back to them asap.

Have a great week!

Kathy

Thank God for Thanksgiving

via

I'm grateful for so many things in my life and because life goes by so fast, sometimes it's difficult to find the perfect time to fully express my gratitude to the people around me that help make it all possible.  Although Thanksgiving happens only once a year, it's important to me to give thanks to God and to those around me that have played a key role in my journey in life.  Today I'm grateful for my family, my friends, the roof over my head, the food on my table, and for YOU and your ongoing support and positive words.  I always say this, but I really do appreciate your support and I love reading the lovely emails I get from you guys, it encourages me to follow my heart and stay true to myself.  I've done just that, and through all your support I hope to continue on this adventure and I hope you continue to follow me because I love sharing it all with you ;)

In the spirit of this Day of Thanks - I'm offering 10% off your total purchase from my Velvet Throne Designs shop just for my LMS followers.  Please use code LMSTHANKS at checkout.  Promotion starts now through Cyber Monday, November 26th.

I hope you all enjoy your day!

With Love & Gratitude,
Kathy

Wednesday Treasures

Hi All,

I've added a few more pieces to my VTD Shop, please stop by and check it out! I'll be posting a few more within the next couple days so please stay tuned and check back.  I hope you love them!

This one above just got sold, but this smaller version is still available

New "Two Faces" Collection

one piece, two faces.

* All photos by Kathy Michon for Velvet Throne Designs, please site accordingly, thanks.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow!  Are you guys planning on catching some early Black Friday deals at midnight tomorrow?  If so, good luck and I hope you find what you're looking for and more! ;)

Kathy

Our Wedding Day Flashback & 4 Year Anniversary

Today is our 4 year wedding anniversary! Woo Hoo! Time flies and I sure am lucky to have this wonderful and handsome man as my husband, best friend, and father to our beautiful kids.  I thought I'd share some memories from our big day.

 

The wedding had a Peacock colored theme with pops of Turquoise, Purple, Electric Blue, and a touch of Chartreuse. Yes, our wedding entourage was quite large with a total of 26 bridesmaids and groomsmen

* All Photos by Brandon Vaccaro

Here's a couple video highlights from that day also.  This first one was the "Deja-Vu Video" Our videographer Andrew from Skipno Productions was able to film this the day of the wedding and have it shown at the reception later on in the evening.  It was an amazing video to watch at the reception to remember all the things that went on throughout the day including seeing behind the scenes footage of each of us getting ready.

Deja-Vu - Kathy & Erik from Andrew Guevara on Vimeo.
This second video is the Wedding Day Highlights video that captures the entire day.
Kathy & Erik - Wedding Day Highlights from Andrew Guevara on Vimeo.
...and I hope for many more years to come! Cheers! Kathy

Black & White Bedding Update

I finally got around to posting up some photos of the Black and White Duvet set I got a while back from here.  It got sold out a couple days after I posted about it, but the good news is that it's back in stock on Amazon and you can purchase it here if you like it.

I love the contrast of the clean black lines against the white.  It really helps to brighten up my bedroom since my walls are painted a deep plum color.  I added a silver sequin pillow to compliment the silver accents I have in the room - pulling from the metallic silver crown moulding and lamp shades.  

All I'm missing now is a faux fur throw...I'm loving this one from West Elm and the price is not too shabby! I'm adding this one to my Christmas wish list!

What's on your Christmas list?

Kathy

New Looks & A Sneak Peek

Hi All!

You may have noticed that the LMS website has been changing up a bit.  I'm working on a few new things for Living My Style and Velvet Throne Designs so I might be switching it up a bit more within the next few weeks.  I've just finished working on a large commissioned piece and am currently in the middle of another large project (I'll keep you posted on that one shortly). If you're interested in a commissioned piece - large or small, please email me velvetthronedesigns@gmail.com 

*All photos were taken by Kathy Michon for VTD - Please site accordingly.

I'm also working hard on this really awesome collection that I'm just so excited to share with you all really soon....ahhh I can't wait to show you!  That collection should be launching by the end of the month.  For now, here's a sneak peak of a couple things coming soon to Velvet Throne Designs.

The "Two Faces" Collection - (Acrylic on Acrylic Box)

Each piece from this collection can be displayed two different ways

this side...

 or this side...

There will only be a couple pieces in this collection so please subscribe to my blog for updates on the launch.

Up Next: My Black & White Bedding Pics 

Happy Monday / Veteran's Day!

I hope you all had a great weekend and for those lucky peeps who have Veteran's day off today - I hope your weekend continues to be a great one! I have lots to share with you so please check back this afternoon to see what I've been working on lately.
I'll be posting some photo updates and have news for an upcoming giveaway. Stay tuned and have a great day!
Kathy

Highlights of My Week

Hi Everyone,
I know I've been lagging a bit on my Weekend Highlights posts, so I've decided to do a "Highlights of My Week" instead since so much goes on throughout the week. I hope you all have a wonderful day!

My dad was so cute being "Super Lolo" ("Lolo" = "Grandfather" in Tagalog)

My friend celebrated her Engagement Party - it was beautiful (and so was this marble fireplace!!)

This was such a gorgeous idea for a hanging photo collage of the couple!

Look at Ryker checking out my friend's daughter (she's just a few weeks older than him)

Remember this photo?

I got new Hello Kitty slippers for the house - love it! Only $9.99 at Ross!

Happy 4 Month Birthday to my best boy creation - I love you so much Ryker Keane!

Leopard print Dolce and Gabbana

Leopard Print Painting by ME

Up Next: New Goodies Coming To MY SHOP

A Super Cute DIY Baby Shower Gift - Cupcake Onesies!

Who doesn't love cupcakes? I came across this extremely cute DIY baby shower gift idea on Pinterest (originally pinned from Club Chica Circle) and I had to share it with you guys.  It's so simple to make and just adorable to give as a gift.  It takes a new spin on the traditional "diaper cake" idea and is sure to bring a big smile to the mommy to be's face, just as a real cupcake would! ;)

Images via

How to Throw a Murder Mystery Dinner

Hi Guys,
My really good friend, Breanne, just threw a fabulous murder mystery dinner for Halloween and wanted to share with you all how she was able to throw a successful themed dinner party on a budget! Check out how she did it below!

I found a coupon for www.nightofmystery.com on www.livingsocial.com - and for $25 you get to spend $50 on a murder mystery party! I bought a party that accommodated 8-15 guests. It came with everything you need for the party - from character descriptions to decorations. I chose "Murder at the Juice Joint" a 1920's themed party. The package was a set of PDF files so I saved it to a disc so I can throw the party again or pass it along so a friend can throw their own party!

 

Guest list:

I used an evite.  It's free, easy to send, and you can see when your guests view and receive them! Then I assigned each guest a character and emailed their character description to them individually so they could prepare for their role.  The character descriptions also had costume suggestions.

 

Menu:

I wanted to keep the menu simple because I didn't have a lot of time to prep for the party. I made spinach dip and bruschetta for appetizers, a Parisian salad, a Lasagna, and Tiramisu cake and coffee for dessert (all from Costco.) I served champagne, wine, and beer. You can get more creative by serving food or cocktails from that era. Here are some cocktail ideas:

Between The Sheets
3/4 oz. each of rum, brandy, Cointreau; a splash of lemon juice or sour mix; blend with ice, strain, and serve up in a chilled cocktail glass

Sidecar
Shake well with cracked ice:
1 1/4 oz cognac
1/2 oz Cointreau
3/4 oz fresh-squeezed lemon juice
Strain into chilled, sugar-rimmed cocktail glass

Fun 1920's fact: The advent of cheaply-made illegal alcohol during Prohibition, they quickly became popular, often to cover the taste of the inferior alcohol.

http://unusualhistoricals.blogspot.com/2009/03/food-drink-cocktails-of-1920s.html?m=1

 

Decor:

Black and white was very popular in the 20's so I continued that theme throughout the party. I borrowed 2 6ft tables from a friend to create a long dining table and covered them with 2 white tablecloths that I purchased at TJ Maxx for $9.99 each. I rented 12 black chairs from Classic Party Rentals which cost about $40. I already had enough China to serve 12 people but I didn't have enough silver ware so I found plastic ones that looked like silver at Costco for 160 pieces it was about $10. For center pieces I had several small glass square vases I bought from the Dollar tree a while back and filled them with black marbles I already had from my wedding. Add some white roses and you have an elegant (and budget friendly center piece.) Costco is also a great place to buy flowers-especially roses. You can buy 2 dozen roses for $16.99!

 

The Game:

As guests arrived I offered them a drink and handed them their first envelope with their dinner objectives. The first envelope also included $500 worth of play money. They would have to try to collect as much money throughout the night through bribery or extortion! The second envelope they received after the murder occurs. Each person had a name tag at their place setting so they would know who is who, and I let them mingle so they could "introduce" themselves and get into character. My friend Sarah's character was a cigarette girl. She found candy cigarettes to sell and make money.

At the end of the evening you hand out "Who Done It" cards for everyone to guess the murderer, vote on who was "Best Dressed" and "Best Actor", and a place to total their money for the "Mr. Money Bags" award. The package included a tally sheet so you can quickly tally up the winners and award them with a prize. I gave the winners their certificate and a $5 Starbucks gift card. You could get more creative with the prizes if the budget permits for example, a costume fedora for best dressed, a trophy for best actor, and a money clip for the wealthiest player.

Overall, it was a very successful party and everyone asked what the theme for next year will be! To throw a Murder Mystery dinner party for under $200 for 12 people, I thought it was a great way to celebrate Halloween! Murder mystery parties are also great for milestone birthdays, holidays, or just an excuse to get friends together for a dinner party.

Enjoy!!!
- Bre

It's TVD Thursday!

I hope you all had a fun and safe Halloween yesterday! Last year, Erik and I were vampires - I was a 1940's Pinup girl turned Vampire and Erik was the Vampire Priest who turned me.  Keira was a Flapper - she was too cute!

Gotta love last minute costume ideas!  

I had just found out I was pregnant then so I had to work with what I had in my closet! Being a pregnant, pin-up girl, and just turned Vampire was a little too complicated to explain to people! ;)

Ahhhhh!

Oh, I never got a chance to remind my fellow TVD fans to watch the new episodes on Thursday night on the CW at 8! It's so good!  If you're still trying to catch up on episodes Netflix on demand has seasons 1 & 2 on there.

Up Next: Guest Post - "How to Host a Murder Mystery Party"